- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
CDFA officials have trapped a single male melon fly in a Fresno vineyard, sending shivers down the spines of local farmers who produce its target crops, including cucumber, eggplant, squash and tomatoes, according to a report on the CBS Channel 47 news.
The melon fly is native to Asia, but has spread to other parts of the world, including Africa and the Pacific Islands. Melon flies were first found in California in 1956 and have been captured sporadically over the years, but all infestations have been successfully eradicated. Just last year, eight melon flies were found in Kern County. Trapping last month...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A heightened awareness of food safety has processors, retailers and consumers demanding that farmers use practices that can be verified as safe, the Fresno Bee reported yesterday. The story focused on the challenges these demands pose for small-scale farmers.
Bee reporter Robert Rodriguez spoke to the owner of an eight-acre Fresno County farm.
"We have been farming for 40 years and have never had a problem, but now we have to document, document, document. I almost burned out my copy machine," the farmer was quoted.
To help growers develop written food safety plans, UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisor
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack appointed UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Richard Molinar to a two-year term on the Minority Farmer Advisory Committee, said a
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California small-scale farmers have an ally in their corner when it comes to specialty crop production - UC Cooperative Extension small farm advisors, noted a recent article in Capital Press.
In Fresno, UCCE small farm advisor Richard Molinar is working with Southeast Asian farmers on such crops as Chinese long beans, gailon, eggplant and jujubes, the story said.
He's also helping growers produce Uzbek-Russian melon, which is said to be more flavorful than cantaloupe or honeydew. And for the past seven years, he's been experimenting with miniature watermelons, another specialty crop well suited for small-scale...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
When President John F. Kennedy created the Peace Corps in 1961, he not only sent thousands of Americans to serve the cause of peace in the developing world, he set them on a course of service that continued when they returned to the U.S. A significant number came to work for UC Cooperative Extension.
One of them is Jim Grieshop, a now-retired UCCE community education development specialist, who was profiled in an article in the February issue of Alaska Airlines Magazine marking the Peace Corps' 50th anniversary.
Acceptance into the Peace Corps helped Grieshop achieve his personal goal...